A Gold Coast businessman accused of murdering his wife denies he demanded sex in exchange for helping students – and says he couldn’t take up all offers of sex.

September 2, 2019

A Gold Coast businessman accused of murdering his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce row insists he couldn’t have sex with everyone who offered it to him because he’s not Superman.

Novy Chardon, 34, went missing on February 6, 2013, and her body has never been found.

The same day her husband, John William Chardon, 72, received a letter from divorce lawyers saying she would give him access to their two children and wanted half of all his assets.

More than six years after his wife disappeared, Chardon is fighting a murder charge in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

On Monday, in response to allegations raised during the trial, Chardon denied demanding sexual favours from students in the Philippines in return for helping them financially.

“I’m no saint, but I never had a conditional thing with any of the people I sponsor,” he said.

“I used to get offered, but I would knock a lot back because I am not bloody Superman, but there was some, yes.”

Chardon said the offers came from people he helped with money for housing, milk or medicine for their children.

A witness from the Philippines, Marshall Bari Aguilor, had told the jury Chardon expected “payback time” sex for his donations to students.

He said Chardon told him “they should be virgin” when asking him to arrange meet-ups.

Chardon denies the claims and has told the jury he is a philanthropist who had been helping students pay university fees since 1998.

Mr Aguilor also said he was asked to buy a gun in the Philippines and hire a killer.

Chardon denies this, despite evidence showing he made a cash transfer for about $2500 on the day he sent emails discussing an AR15 semi-automatic rifle.

He also denied a plot to bring a hitman to Thailand to kill his wife, and asking Mr Aguilor to find a cliff or cave to hide her body in.

The court has heard Chardon told police that when he woke up on February 7 his wife was gone. He suggested she might have sold $70,000 worth of jewellery to fund her departure.

Crown prosecutor Mark Green put it to Chardon that his account of his wife’s disappearance were fabricated and he’d killed his wife.

“That’s rubbish … I didn’t kill Novy, period,” Chardon said.

“I had no one kill her, I didn’t kill her. As far as I know, she’s out running around the world somewhere.”

Chardon also denied he was “furious” over the divorce letter that said she would allow him access to their children and wanted 50 per cent of all his assets including two factories and a mining investment.

Ms Chardon also wanted half the company Chardon started in 1986 with his first wife, Maureen.

The jury has heard Chardon thought the couple had agreed on joint custody of their children and had offered his wife a $3.5 million divorce settlement.

Asked why he told police investigating Ms Chardon’s disappearance that his wife was “narcissistic, loopy and crazy”, “wore shorts that made her look like a hooker” and “had fat thighs”, Chardon said “I still love her.”

The trial continues.